69
After we ensure Sol is taken into custody by the Veil, I make my way to Fiama Society Tower A. The sun is rising, making it easier to navigate the streets.
In the distance, I hear fighting coming from every direction, and smoke hangs in the air. Something must be on fire. I can’t worry about that now. Rook is right. I have to get out of here before the chancellors come looking for me.
I reach the building and head into the stairwell, making the arduous climb up. I’ve never been so thankful for all my cadet training.
I knock on the door, but no one answers. “Mom! It’s me!”
I bang a few more times, calling for her, contemplating the best way to break in if it comes to that.
Finally, the door pops open, revealing my mother in a nightgown, tears staining her cheeks.
“Poet!” she gasps, throwing her arms around me. “Skies, I’ve been so worried. I saw you on my phone, and you were so brave. So beautiful. Raine. I can’t . . . I can’t believe it . . .”
She’s rambling—a little hysterical, I think.
“Mom,” I say, taking her hands in mine. “I need you to focus. You’re coming with me.”
“Where?” she asks.
“The Tiera Frais,” I say. “Remember what I said? There’s a whole world out there.”
“I can’t do that,” she says, vigorously shaking her head.
“Why not?”
“What would I possibly do out there? What would your father say?”
I inhale a deep, fortifying breath. “Mom . . . Dad is . . . gone.”
She stares at me, blinking her big, dark eyes for an uncomfortably long time. She’s clearly gone into shock. I quickly explain what happened, while she just keeps staring at me.
“Mom? Say something.”
She doesn’t answer. Definitely in shock. Maybe this is better.
“Mom, go into your room and change into something practical, okay? Pants, sweater, boots. Grab a jacket. I’m packing you a bag.”
“You are?” she asks, finally finding her voice.
“Yes.” Then I turn her by the shoulders and push her toward her closet, where I start choosing some suitable options. She doesn’t have much. Most of her wardrobe consists of impractical silk dresses meant for a life of leisure.
She’s going to die in the Tiera Frais.
Without her satin pillows and her luxurious face creams.
Her fancy perfumes and her designer shoes.
The image is so funny that I nearly burst into laughter.
But we have to get out of here.
I throw whatever I can find into two bags. Most of my clothing is back at school, but we’re about the same size, so we can share.
As I gather what I can from my closet, I notice the empty space on my dresser where Teddy always sat.
He’s too far away now, lying on my bed at Amery. I wish I could go and get him, but maybe our separation symbolizes an old life that I’m truly leaving behind.
I stare out my south-facing window, which reveals a city in chaos. Fire burns in every direction, and it occurs to me that the people really are fighting back. They’re demanding to be heard.
It’s what we hoped they would do.
A part of me wants to help, but I did what I could, and this is their fight now.
I enter the living room, heading for another window, this one facing north, as my heart sinks to my feet. Far in the distance, I can see the rock wall and the flat plain beyond.
The area is littered with people—hundreds, maybe even thousands—all crawling over one another like an army of shadows.
They’re all fighting. The Storm Guard. The Brigade. The Patrol.
And the Veil.
More fires burn against the flash of several stunner beams. The explosion of guns echoes in the distance. I wonder if Rook and his siblings have already found their way to the outskirts. We need to move. I have to get back to him.
I return to the bedroom to find my mother sitting on the bed, staring at nothing. But she’s mostly dressed. Good.
I grab her boots and kneel down in front of her, stuffing her feet inside.
She’s like a rag doll, lifeless and limp, and I’m sort of grateful for it.
I’m sure she’ll realize what’s happening soon enough, but hopefully I can get her out of here first. Once the news sinks in, I expect that she’ll need to mourn my father in a way I won’t really understand.
I hoist a backpack onto her shoulders and pick up the other. Then I take her hand and drag her out of the apartment.
“We’re taking the stairs,” I say. It’s dim out here, but squares cut into the ceiling offer enough light to see. “Mom, I’m going to take care of you, okay? You’ll love the Veil. It’s beautiful. They have gardens and the most breathtaking views.”
She’ll hate the Veil, but this is the best I can do right now. I think about when Rook and I first escaped the city, and I told him I’d expect fine china and a comfortable bed.
Only part of me had been joking, but I’m the easy one compared to my mom.
“Watch your step,” I say. She’s silent as I tow her to the ground floor and then out into the street.
I hear rioting and chanting in the distance as the world burns around us, thick puffs of smoke hanging in the atmosphere.
As we head north, we pass dozens of people brandishing makeshift weapons. Thankfully, they don’t bother us. When they catch a glimpse of my mom, wide-eyed and slack-jawed, they must understand that she isn’t a threat.
I wonder what will happen next. Will The Shield try again? Sol seemed to think they could get the network back up and running, but I’m hoping the water destroyed everything beyond repair.
We continue walking, heading through the factory district until the ruins of the old city come into view, along with the distant rock wall.
That place that was my salvation so many times.
A check to the left and right shows the flats littered with people.
They’re everywhere. Why are there so many of them?
And how am I going to find Rook in all of this?
We keep walking, weaving through the ruins. My mom stumbles and falls to her knees.
“Mom?” I ask, checking that she hasn’t hurt herself as I pull her back to her feet. “Are you okay?”
She only stares at me, her eyes so distant that I’m really starting to worry.
I gently tap her cheek. “Mom, can you snap out of this?”
“Grady?” she asks, her expression crumpling as tears fill her eyes.
“Mom, he’s gone.”
I can’t decide if she’s sad or scared. If she still loves him or if she’ll miss him.
“Mom,” I say, taking her by the shoulders. “I need you to focus. We’re—”
That’s when an explosion rocks the earth beneath our feet.